FED:I won't sack Parker, O'Farrell says

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell will not sack Environment Minister Robyn Parker over her handling of an ammonia leak in Newcastle, saying everyone has a bad day from time to time.

Ms Parker has been criticised over a news conference on Thursday, where she admitted not having contacted chemical giant Orica over the leak, and had to be prompted on who heads the company.

Her handling of this week's leak followed criticism over delays in informing the public of an August 8 leak of hexavalent chromium at the same Kooragang Island site, which the EPA shut down on Thursday.

The latest incident resulted in two railyard workers working nearby being admitted to hospital.

Mr O'Farrell has ruled out a reshuffle of his frontbench and says Ms Parker will be a minister come the 2015 state election.

"I have confidence in the job that she is doing, but more importantly I have confidence in Fire and Rescue, I have confidence in the Office of Environment and Heritage for doing what the public expects them to do, particularly those people who work in and around the Orica-Stockton facility," Mr O'Farrell told reporters in Sydney.

"All of us, from time to time have a bad day.

"The point, though, is what we've seen is the plant closed, not to be reopened until it can satisfy the appropriate environmental regulators that it can operate safely."

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The premier said it was not a "reasonable expectation" that Ms Parker would speak to Orica in the aftermath of the leak, saying it was up to the state's emergency and environmental agencies to manage the incident.

"This latest emission wasn't the fault of the Minister for the Environment, it was the fault of the company that has now become a serial offender, and that is why the plant was shut down," Mr O'Farrell said.

"What I'll acknowledge is that we sometimes have bad days. I've had bad days. But that doesn't mean the government is going badly.

"Every time we make mistakes ... we simply need to learn from those things."